An Ambassador programme that enhances visitor experience in Bridgend County for residents and travellers alike.

July 5, 2017

Parc Slip from Agriculture to mining to conservation & Agriculture the journey…

At the end of June after the Summer Solstice we visited Parc Slip Nature Reserve on a warm but damp day – #Wales will never disappoint!

The new Heritage Trail has been added to the rest of the activities and we were eager to see. The damp weather gave us a fresh aroma of the countryside.

The trail is a series of monuments, interpretation boards and wood sculptures that takes you on the journey of Parc Slip.

1860 the site was opened as a drift mine

26th August the day of St Mary Hill Fair 1892, an explosion underground took it’s toll and claimed the lives of 112 men and boys .

1904 the mine closed

1960’s the area was used for Opencast mining

1980’s saw the restoration of the area and the backfill of the land and the development of the conservation area.

The 300 acre site is now a flourishing conservation site boasting a large range of birds and wildlife all finding its way to the area on their own, the plants are diverse but some have been introduced along the way giving a carpet of beauty to the meadows and verges.

We were lucky to spot a Poplar Hawk Moth resting on a leaf sheltered from the rain, a coot on the lake with her young, a Bridgend Ambassador in a willow Owl hut and a wooden carved statue of a miner and son off to work.

With the changing seasons and weather I believe Parc Slip can provide many unique adventures and to start or end each adventure I recommend the cake and coffee from the Cafe.